Lubricator



arrr rrrcra FRANCIS J. RENCHARD, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

LUB'RICATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 315,550, dated April14, 1885.

Application tiled November 10, 1884. (No model.)

To all whont it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANcrs IRENCHARD, of Detroit,in the county of .Wayneand State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement inLubricators, of which the following is a specification.

My invention belongs to that class of lubricators in which the oil iscaused to rise in visible quantities through water contained inatransparent tube by means of the action of water, the product ofcondensation, which displaces the oil in a reservoir connected with saidtransparent tube.

My invention consists, primarily, in locating the oil-reservoir of alubricating apparatus within an inclosing water-chamber containingwater, the immediate product of. con? densation from steam directlyintroduced thereto, whereby a heat is maintained sufficient to keep theoil in a constant state of iuidity; and, secondarily, it consists inspecial arrangements of the integral parts whereby the construction of.the apparatus and its operation are facilitated.

In the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, .Figure l isan elevation of the apparatus. Fig. 2'is a vertical section thereof.Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line x x of Fig. 2. Fig. 4represents the checkvalve in elevation, and also by an invertedhorizontal section. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the oil-director detached;Fig. 6, a similar elevation of the regulating-valve, and` Fig. 7 asimilar section oi' the drip-valve.

The same letters are employed in all the iigures in the indication ofidentical parts.

The oil and water chambers are composed of two concentric cylinders, AandB, of which the exterior chamber, A, is the water-chamber, and theinterior chamber, B, is the oilchamber. v

Water, the product of condensation, is obtained by means of the tubularextension C, which is cast in one piece with chamber A,and forms asteam-connection between the latter and the steam-pipe, from which steamenters Vthe chamber A, and is then condensed.

Within the chamber A is the chamber B, preferably cast in one piece,their walls being connected at c c', and by the tubular neck S, throughwhich a pipe, t, is tapped, connecting a vertical pipe, m, which extendsnearly to the top of the oil-chamber with the interior of thetransparent indicator-glass J.

The indicator-glass is filled with water, and is supported between theupper and lower glass-holders, I I. The upper glass-holder, I, is atubular piece, closed above by the screwplug 1, and below by thepacking-ring g,which incloses the upper end of the glass-tube J andseals the same. It is also provided with a diaphragm, which forms avalve-seat and cage for the check-valve H, which has grooved passagescut in the face of its stem, to permit the oil to flow from theindicator-glass into the interior of the glass-holder I, whichcommunicates with the escape-tube t', cast, preferably, in one piecewith I and tapped through the external wall of the water-chamber A. Thescrew-plug l is formed with a projection on its lower face, which actsas a stop, limiting the rise ofthe check-valve H, and preventing itsfalling out of its cage after the apparatus has been put together. Thetube t' discharges into the tube t, which is bored in a stem or bar, O,which extends across the oilchamber, and this in turn discharges into apipe, N, placed within the tubular extension O, and discharging the oilinto the steam-pipe. The lower glass-holder, I', is also a tubularpiece, closed below by the screw-plug 2, and above by the packing-ringg', which incloses the lower end of the glass tube J and seals the same.It is preferably cast with an .induction-tube, t, which is tappedthrough the neck S, and extends into the interior of the oilchamber B,and is connected with the vertical supply-pipe m. The interior face ofthis glass-holder is formed with a spiral thread to receive the plug F,which has a corresponding thread cut upon its exterior face, and anotherthread formed on the downwardly-projecting stem to receive thecorresponding thread cut on the inner face of a projection from thecenter of the screw-plug 2. The plug F is the oil-director, taking theoil from tube t" by Y means of an annular recess communicating with theholes ff, opening into the internal tubular chamber, f, whichterminatesat the top with a small orifice opening into the interior of the glasstube J. This lower glassholder is also formed with an annular iiange toreceive the shouldered flange surrounding the plug F above the holes ff, and forming a IOO ' B, and a female screw is cut on the interiorjustment of the valve D. Whenthe oil has stop, cutting off allcommunication between 1 the interior of the indicator-glass J and theoilchamber except through the holes f f and tube f. A

G is a screw-plug closing the mouth of the oil-chamber B.

The admission of water to the interior of the oil-chamber is regulatedby the regulating-valve D, which is tapped through the bottom of thewater-chamber at b2, and fitted to bear against the seat formed on thelower end of the oil-chamber B by -an annular flange. A Stuffing-box,d', prevents the escape of water.

To permit the chamber B to be emptied, the stem of valve D is madehollow, and a valveseat is formed at the upper end,where the holethrough D opens into the interior of chamber face to receive acorresponding thread upon the periphery of the drip-valve E, which maythus be screwed into the center of the regulating-valve D. An annularchamber is also formed immediately below the valve-seat b by cuttingaway the stem of valve E, and holes are bored at e e, connecting suchannular chamber with the tube e, which extends from the holes c e to thelower end of the drip-valve. rlhe drip-valve is formed with threads ofmuch less pitch than the corresponding threads of the regulating-valveD, which permits it to be easily opened without disturbing valve D. Theoperation of this lubricator is as follows: The apparatus is connectedwith the steam-pipe of an engine by the tubular extension G, which isscrewed into a hole tapped through the steam-pipe, the pipeN extendingint-o the interior of the steam-pipe. Steam will enter through the spaceL into the interior of the chamber A, and be therein condensed, fillingthe chamber in whole or in part with water. rIhe screw-plug Gr beingthen removed, water may be poured into the pipe m until theindicator-glass J is full, when the oilchamber may be filled with oiland the plug G screwedin. If, now, the regulating-valve D is slightlyopened, the chamber A being filled. with water and steam, the water willflow into the chamber B, lifting the oil and forcing it into pipe m,when, driving the water before it into the indicator-glass J, and thencethrough the check-valve H into the steam-pipe, it will follow until theconnected pipes m, i', and f are full of oil, and then the oil will risedrop by drop through the water in the indicator-glass, and thencethrough the check-valve into the tube i, 2, and N into the steam-pipe,the greater or less iiow depending upon the adbeen discharged from thechamber B, the valve D must be closed and the drip-valve E opened. Thiswill permit the water to flow out of chamber B. The valve E being thenclosed, the chamber may be again lled with oil, and as the pipe m isfull of oil, the work of feeding oil to the steam pipe or cylinder willbe resumed as soon as valve D is again opened.

It will be observed that as thc oil-chamber is exposed to the heat ofthe steam and water in the exterior and inclosing chamber A, the oilwill be maintained in a state of fluidity.

I have described my lubricator as being attached and the oil supplied tothe steam-pipe. It is evident, however, that the pipe N may be led intothe interior of the cylinder or to other part to be lubricated. I haveillustrated my invention in what I consider its best embodiment; but itis evident that considerable variations may be made in details withoutdeparting from the principles of my invention.

Thus the use of an indicating-glass, however convenient, is notindispensable. So, also, it is not essential that the oil-chamber shouldbe entirely inclosed in the steam and water chamber, nor that theregulating and drip valves should be united, as set forth, as the sameend can be accomplished by independent and distinct valves. So, also,the regulating-valve need not open into the bottom of the oil-chamber,since the water will sink; below the oil even if it is introduced abovethe bottom of the chamber.

What I regard as the practically essential elements of my invent-ion,and as that which distinguishes it from those before known, are theoil-chamber inclosed by the water and steam chamber, with such a degreeof exposure of the oil to the heat of the Asteam and water. as willmaintain its fluidity under ordinary conditions of exposure, a valvewhich regulates the iiow of water into the oil-chamber to displace theoil, a pipe leading from the oil-chamber, and a drip for the purpose ofdrawingoff the water when the oil-chamber is to be recharged with oil.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A lubricator having an oil-chamber surrounded and inclosed by anexterior chamber for water and steam, in combination with a transparenttube through which the oil passes in visible quantities in its coursefrom the oilchamber to the part to be lubricated, substantially as setforth.

2. In combination with an interior oil-chvam ber, B, an exterior waterand steam chamber, A, a valve, D, for admitting water from the latter tothe former in regulated quantities, and a tube for discharging the oilfrom the upper part of the oil-chamber as water is introduced at thebottom of the oil, substantially` as set forth.l

3. In combination with an exterior and interior chamber, A and. B, thetubular regulating-valve D, determining the communication between thetwo, and the central valve, E, for exhausting the contents of theinterior chamber through the exterior chamber, substantially as setforth.

4. 'Ihe combination of the external chamber, A, the internal chamber, B,the glass-holders I I, the intermedial indicatingglass, J, and theinduction and discharge pipes fi i, substantially as set forth.

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5. Alubrcator combining in its eonstrue- Intestimony whereofIhavehereuntosigned 1o tion an oil-chamber and a steam and Water my namein presence of two subscribing Witchamber arranged in the same plane andsepnesses. arated by a single partition, through which heat may betransmitted from the steam and Water to the oil, together with valvesand pipes for transmitting the Water to the oil- Vitnesses: chamber inregulated quantities to displace WILLIAM MAY, the oil, substantially asset forth. J OHN MARSHALL.

'FRANCIS J. RENCHARD.

